Clash of corporate values

Friday February 18, 2005
The Guardian

As Asda engages in disputes with trade unions in Britain over collective bargaining rights (Asda and GMB clash over collective bargaining, February 12), the anti-union policies of its parent company, Wal-Mart, are troubling. We are concerned about Wal-Mart's decision to close its store in Jonquiere, Quebec in the wake of its employees' opting for unionisation. The right to unionise is not only a statutory right in Canada, but also a fundamental human right.

Wal-Mart has a well-documented policy of discouraging employees from exercising this right. We believe that respect for human rights is fundamental to good corporate citizenship. To conform to international human rights standards, Wal-Mart must cease its active opposition to unionisation and recognise and deal fairly with leaders freely chosen by its employees.

Owen Darbishire
Oxford University
Noam Chomsky
MIT, Boston
Prof Richard Hyman
London School of Economics
and more than 190 others